Love's True Form
by LadyandtheTurtleduck
Summary: "By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm, until you find true love's first kiss, and then take love's true form..." Princess Levy has been waiting half her life for Prince Charming to come and rescue her. How will she react when she realizes Gajeel isn't exactly the noble knight she imagined?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **My first attempt at an AU. I don't know something about Shrek's rude, stand-offish attitude just reminded me of Gajeel and all of a sudden this was born. It's just a silly idea, so I might rewrite it or add to it later, but for now tell me what you think!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Fairy Tail characters and a lot of this story line and dialog was borrowed from Shrek, so the credit goes to DreamWorks for that.

* * *

Somewhere in a land far far away stood a steep, jagged rock of a mountain secluded from the rest of the world. A constant array of storm clouds surrounded this mountain, effectively making it seem as though night never left. The only source of true light came from the large, gloomy castle placed atop it. This castle was enclosed in a pool of molten lava where a fierce, vicious dragon lurked in anticipation of the next fool who attempted to enter her territory. Deep within the confines of the castle awaited a beautiful young princess who dreamed of the day her prince charming would heroically rescue her so they could fall deeply in love and live happily ever after.

This all sounded like a Fairy Tale, but for Princess Levy it was all more of a nightmare or an extreme inconvenience at the least.

It's not that Levy was lazy. She knew that just because she was a princess didn't mean that she should get everything handed to her, but being stuck in a tower for nearly ten years was really starting to wear on her patience.

In reality Levy probably could have escaped the tower on her own. Being stuck in the same place for that long gives a person time to observe their surroundings and Levy knew that castle like the back of her hand. She knew everything from the undamaged areas of the castle to the sleeping schedule of the dragon she shared it with and that would be enough really. Levy had read enough adventure novels to know what to do after that and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought up an escape plan more than a dozen times. However, her situation wasn't quite that simple.

Living in a land that despised and shunned magic, Levy wouldn't be any better off out in the real world, or the palace she called home for that matter, than she would be stuck in her tower. Perhaps during the light of day she could pull off being normal, but by night she was a regular freak, an outcast, and a danger to those around her.

Levy was cursed with the power of words by a witch when she was just a little girl and now she was forced to live out her days in the tower until her true love rescued her and broke the spell with a kiss. That's why she patiently waited alone day after day and today was no different.

Levy sat on her bed reading a book on ancient languages. She had probably read it before, but it wasn't as if she could just stop by a local book fair to purchase new reading material. She had to make do with what was given to her and Levy had always been fascinated by the art of languages so she didn't mind much.

She wasn't really expecting anything out of the ordinary that day, but was pleasantly surprised when she heard foreign noises coming from the castle. The dragon, surprisingly, didn't usually make much noise on an ordinary day so hearing unfamiliar bangs and clashes could only mean one thing. Another knight had come to rescue her.

Over the years, knights from all over had come to the tower in an attempt to save her. Unfortunately, none had yet succeeded. Most of them ended up retreating like cowards, but the more unlucky of the few were currently burnt remains floating in the moat of scorching lava.

Levy sincerely hoped that this time wouldn't be as unsuccessful as the rest. She knew that it was pretty likely that her escape from the dreary castle would not be today, but as she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes a speck of hope still remained inside her.

She honestly expected the noises to die down eventually and her day to go on again like usual. What she did not expect was for a large man in half of a suit of armor to come crashing through her bedroom wall, cursing the whole way.

Her eyes popped open in surprise for just a moment to make sure she wasn't dreaming. And when she caught sight of the man picking himself off the ground hope swelled inside her. Levy didn't think she had ever been this excited in her whole life. This could very well be the day she met her true love and escaped this dreadful tower for good!

With this knowledge Levy laid back down and prepared herself. If this truly was the Prince Charming she'd been dreaming about ever since she was a little girl then surely he would make a grand romantic gesture. Perhaps he would gently sweep her off her feet and awaken her with a kiss. That's how she always imagined the moment happening anyway.

Instead of receiving a kiss, however, she was awoken by rough, gloved hands violently shaking her shoulders and a gruff voice.

"Oi, Princess! Wake the hell up! Shit, she better not be dead."

Levy's eyes shot open in slight confusion and irritation. "What-"

"Are you Princess Levy?"

Levy sat up and looked at the man. She couldn't see him very well with his helmet on, but if he was brave enough to slay the dragon and come rescue her than surely he must be the man from the prophecy right? Yes, of course it was him. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

Levy smiled brightly up at him. "I am and I have been awaiting your arrival for quite some time, brave knight."

"Uh right. That's nice and all, but we really need to get the hell out of here." The knight turned from her bedside and started heading back the way he came in.

"Wait!" Levy stood up and shouted, confused. "Sir Knight, this is our first meeting. Shouldn't it be a little more….romantic?"

The knight rolled his eyes at her. Though she couldn't see the act, she could tell he was becoming annoyed by his tone of voice.

"Listen Shrimp, we don't have time for stupid shit like that."

Levy still wasn't moving. Did he just call her a shrimp? She was a princess for goodness sake! People couldn't just treat her that way! Least of all her knight in shining armor who she'd been waiting half her life for. This couldn't be right. Maybe she was dreaming after all…

Her thoughts were interrupted as the man roughly grabbed her wrist and started pulling her.

"Come on. You wanna get out of here or not?"

"Hey wait! What are you doing? Shouldn't you be sweeping me off my feet so we can ride off into the sunset together on your valiant steed?" Levy asked panicked.

She couldn't see him very well, but she knew he was looking at her like she was crazy. Levy lowered her voice and looked away, a bit embarrassed now at what she said. "Or something along those lines..."

The knight snorted at her. "Damn, you must have been planning this for a hell of a long time."

"Well yeah I've-"But she didn't get to finish her sentence, because her "noble" knight decided to rudely burst through her bedroom door at that moment and rush down the castle stairs with her in tow.

"Oh come on!" Levy half- yelled, exasperated. "We have to savor this moment! We'll remember it for the rest of our lives! Can't you recite a poem or sing me a song or something? _Anything?_" She was panting by the end of her rant.

He stopped running and looked at her. Perhaps she had finally gotten through to him!

"Yeah, that's not happening."

Levy sighed. Of course not. "Well can I at _least_ know the name of my champion?"

He paused for a moment then replied.

"Gajeel."

Levy smiled at him. Gajeel huh? Well, it sure was a strange name, but Levy kind of like it.

"Sir Gajeel, please take this favor as a token of my gratitude." She said pleasantly as she handed him an embroidered handkerchief.

"Uh… thanks?"

Gajeel took the handkerchief and looked at it strangely before quickly wiping his face under the helmet with it and turning to chuck it into a nearby pit of lava.

Levy was about to scold him for throwing away her gift, but never got the chance, because at that moment a loud roar echoed throughout the palace. Levy shrieked, now even more upset than before.

"_You didn't slay the dragon?!"_

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**A/N: **As always thanks for reading! I might add another chapter or part to this, but I'm not sure. It kind of depends on the feedback I get. I do have some ideas, though, for the future if I continue with this story including Pantherlily. As the male lead's talking animal partner I think you can guess what role I'd have for him, but don't worry Lily's definitely staying a cat/exceed.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I honestly wasn't planning on coming back to this for a while, but I swear Shrek has been following me around everywhere since I wrote this! And if I hear the song "I'm a Believer" one more time I might go insane. So, I took that as a sign to write this and hopefully now I'll stop seeing Shrek references everywhere. Well, without further ado here's chapter/part 2. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

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"_You didn't slay the dragon?!"_

Levy had been annoyed before, but now she was downright angry. Everything was going horribly. What kind of idiot knight doesn't slay the dragon before he rescues the princess?! At least that explained why they were rushing out of here. She only hoped that Gajeel would be a little more gentle and romantic with her after he slayed the dragon and they made their escape.

"Calm your short ass down." He replied, annoyed by her shrieking. "It's on my to-do list okay?" And with that Gajeel once again grabbed her wrist and yanked her further down the castle halls.

Levy let out a short high-pitched squeal at the sudden action.

"But this isn't right!" she pleaded as she was forced to run behind him. "You're supposed to charge in, sword drawn, banners flying! That's what all the other knights did."

Gajeel chuckled darkly."Yeah, right before they burst into flames."

"Ugh! But that's not the point!" Levy started again, but stopped in her tracks when he suddenly let go of her wrist and ran off on his own.

"Wait!" she called, after watching him leap over lava covered cracks in the flooring. "Where are you going?" She pointed a finger towards an entrance to another hallway. "The exit's that way."

Gajeel stopped before large, wooden double doors and turned to grin at her. "I gotta go find my cat."

"Your…cat?" Levy wondered incredulously. She thought maybe she had heard him wrong, but his nod assured her that she was correct.

"What kind of knight are you?!"

Gajeel grinned at her once again. "One of a kind," he answered, then walked through the double doors leaving Levy behind to wait.

* * *

Gajeel walked inside the large, dark room that acted as the dragon's lair. Right away he found what he was looking for. After all, it was hard to miss a gigantic fire-breathing dragon battling a seven-foot cat with a sword.

"Oi Lily!" Gajeel yelled running towards him. "You still haven't killed this damn thing?"

Lily kept up his side of the battle, effectively dodging bursts of fire and fighting off claw attacks, while answering his partner. "I've 'killed' it about a dozen times already, but nothing seems to be working."

Gajeel looked at the cat skeptically. They had killed monsters much more vicious and terrifying than this before. The large creature in front of him was a weakling by his standards and it was hard for him to believe that it couldn't be put down.

Lily caught on fast to what he was thinking. "Would you like to try then Gajeel?"

"Gihi well someone's gotta show this fake bastard whose boss!"

Pantherlily shook his head and shrunk down to his smaller size. "Be my guest. You should be careful though. The fire magic that that thing spews is real."

Gajeel nodded and took action right away, turning several body parts into iron weapons and knocking down the dragon more than a few times. Every time it seemed like the beast was down for good, however, an instant later its wounds would magically heal and the dragon would charge forward once again.

"Tch. This damn phony won't stay down."

"I told you." Lily sighed.

"Fine. I'm just gonna try one more thing and then we're outa here." Gajeel told him before taking in a deep breath and letting it out in an earsplitting roar, ten times louder than the so-called dragon he aimed his attack at.

The dragon fell hard to the floor with a weak roar of its own. Gajeel waited for a few seconds, before turning to Lily with a smug look on his face. However, his face fell into a scowl a moment later as he saw the dragon picking itself up again. Gajeel was getting really pissed off by the seemingly invincible creature. He was a dragon slayer for God's sake! He thought he should at least be able to kill a fake dragon.

"Damn, I guess that's that then." Gajeel said annoyed." Let's go Lily."

Gajeel didn't wait for his response. He quickly picked up Lily, who was just about out of magic energy, and tucked him under his arm as he sprinted towards the double doors he had entered in.

The dragon, who was up and kicking again, chased after them. It roared fire once more and Gajeel dodged it by an inch.

"Have you thought up a plan yet Gajeel?" Lily asked from under his arm. He was a little on edge after almost getting his tail singed.

"Come on. When do I ever have a plan?"

"Well, unless you plan on getting burnt to a crisp I suggest we come up with one."

"Tch. I've felt flames a hundred times hotter than these puny ones."

"That may be so, but I highly doubt the lovely princess has."

Gajeel laughed bitterly. "It wouldn't kill little miss prim and proper to get roughed up a bit."

"Gajeel," Pantherlily warned. "We need to bring her back safely. Unless you've suddenly decided that you don't want your land back. In that case we came all this way for nothing."

"Alright, alright. Quit your nagging you damn cat. I ain't gonna let her get hurt." Gajeel grumbled as he burst through the doors, the dragon still hot on his tail, literally.

Gajeel saw Levy waiting where he left her and swiftly picked her up before she had time to react, holding her the same way he held Lily under his other arm. It didn't inconvenience him too much, considering the fact that she barely weighed anything.

"Hello Princess. It's a pleasure to meet you." Lily greeted her as Gajeel ran to find their way out. "My name is Pantherlily."

"It talks!" Levy gasped, looking at the cat in shock.

Gajeel snorted. "Yeah, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick."

Gajeel stopped when he came to a dead end at the edge of the second floor where a staircase should have been. He took one look behind him to see that the dragon had caught up to them and quickly made his decision.

"Hold on!" Gajeel yelled, jumping over the ledge to the ground floor right before the dragon made a snatch at them with its pointed teeth. Levy screamed the whole way down.

"I thought you planned on slaying the dragon?!" Levy yelled.

"Yeah, well unless you know how to undo enchantments, that thing ain't staying down."

Levy paused for a moment before stuttering out "W-well of course I don't." Lily thought she sounded a bit suspicious, but didn't say anything.

She turned to look behind them at the ferocious dragon who was closer than she would have liked. Realization came to her all of a sudden. "Wait, are you telling me that that isn't even a real dragon?"

"Yup, the damn thing's a fraud." Gajeel answered grumpily.

"But how do you know that?"

"Tell ya later Shorty. First I gotta focus on getting us all out of here alive."

Gajeel finally made it to one of the large holes in the dilapidated castle wall that led into the courtyard. He ran with all the energy he had left and headed for the old, wobbly, wooden bridge that hung above a chasm of lava. It was their only route out of there. When he reached the bridge, he set his two passengers down as fast as he could.

"You two are gonna have to run across this bridge by your selves! It's too narrow for me to carry you!"

Pantherlily went across first with Levy right behind him. Gajeel turned around and got a couple of iron punches in at the dragon, effectively knocking it down, before catching up to the other two on the bridge.

If his suspicions were right, the runes that created and bound the dragon there wouldn't allow it to go any farther than the castle's property, but he wanted to stall it just in case.

"We're almost across!" Lily announced.

Gajeel smiled as he ran. Just a few more seconds and they would be able to take the princess back with them safely and get their land back. Things were looking pretty good for them. That is until, the dragon decided to let out a massive breath of fire as its last resort.

"Fuck!" Gajeel shouted and started running faster.

The dragon's flames didn't reach them, but it did manage to burn over half the bridge away and send them falling into the lava.

Luckily Gajeel and Lily had quick reflexes. They both reached out for the remaining part of the dangling bridge and got a firm grasp on the wooden planks. Levy wasn't as quick. She was still shocked and frightened from the sudden fall. She was sure she was going to fall to her death, when Gajeel's hand just barely found hers and held on to it. Levy let out a breath of relief.

"Lily, you got any juice left in you?" Gajeel asked loudly.

"I believe I have enough to fly the princess to the top."

"Great, you handle that and I'll climb up."

Lily nodded and sprouted wings. He then proceeded to grab Levy by the back collar of her dress and fly her to the top of the cliff while Gajeel climbed up the makeshift ladder.

"You can fly too?" Levy asked him when they reached the top. She was genuinely curious about this creature. She had never seen anything like him. Lily just smiled at her.

A flying, talking cat and a backwards knight, this really was a strange day for her. But none of that mattered, because she was free. _She was free. _The realization slowly sunk in. After ten years in that horrid, nightmarish castle she was finally free. A grin spread across her face.

"Oi, you two okay?" Gajeel asked as he made it to the top.

Levy turned to him, smiling brightly. "Fine, just wonderful, because you actually did it! You rescued me!" she beamed." Brave knight Gajeel, though you are a bit unorthodox, your deed is great and your heart is pure. I am eternally in your debt."

"Uh… don't mention it" Gajeel grunted and looked away uncomfortably.

Levy turned to look at the small black cat beside her and bent down to pet his fur. "I am in your debt as well, Pantherlily. Though you aren't a horse, you are as brave and noble as a steed."

Lily smiled at her kind words. "It was no problem at all Princess," he answered.

Levy giggled before facing Gajeel again. "The battle is won. You may now remove your helmet, Sir Knight."

"Uh no thanks," he said a little harsher than necessary. He didn't like it when people told him what to do.

"Why not?" she asked unaffected by his tone.

"Because I don't feel like it that's why."

"Please? I would like to look upon the face of my rescuer."

"Tch. I highly doubt that."

"But then how will you kiss me?" she asked innocently.

Gajeel's eyes widened at that. "What?!" he choked. "That sure as hell wasn't in the job description." He muttered, looking at Lily.

Lily just chuckled at his discomfort. "Perhaps it's a perk?" he suggested.

"No," Levy told them. "Its destiny. You must know how the story goes! A princess locked in a tower guarded by a dragon is rescued by a brave knight and then they share true loves first kiss." She finished dreamily.

Lily coughed. "You think _Gajeel_ is your true love?" He asked surprised.

"Of course."

Both the knight and the cat burst out laughing. Gajeel laughed a little louder, though. He thought that the idea of being someone's true love, especially that of a princess, was completely insane. However, his partner, who had known him for quite some time, thought that somewhere deep inside, Gajeel had it in him to find love and make someone happy. The thought of him playing some Prince Charming storybook role was still funny though.

"_What _is so funny?!" The princess asked, taken aback.

"Let's just say that there's no way in hell I'm your type Shorty." Gajeel scoffed.

"Of course you are! You're my rescuer, my knight in shining armor! Now would you just take off the helmet already?!"

"No." Gajeel glared at her. She was telling him what to do again.

"Yes!" Levy said a little louder, glaring back at him.

They kept glaring at each other, neither blinking. Lily thought it was amusing.

"Tch, fine." Gajeel said eventually, after deciding it really wasn't worth it. "I could use a snack after all that anyway."

He took the helmet off and right away started munching at it.

"Gajeel, would you quit eating your armor!" Lily complained.

Levy's mouth fell open. He was definitely not what she was expecting. She couldn't say he was unattractive, because that would be a total lie, but she never pictured her Prince Charming with long spiky black hair, multiple face piercings, and red eyes. His rough features and scowl matched what she'd seen of his personality so far, but they certainly were not fit for royalty. Levy then looked toward his mouth again when it hit her.

"W-w-what?! How are you eating metal?!" Levy stuttered, now even more shocked then before. "Are you a-a.."

"A mage?" Gajeel finished for her. "Damn straight."

Levy fell silent. Gajeel couldn't say the disappointment in her eyes didn't hurt a little, but it's not like he was going to let her know that.

"What?" Gajeel grinned mockingly at her. "Not the Prince Charming you expected?"

Levy grimaced. "I'm sorry. It's just that this is all wrong," she said quietly. "You're not supposed to be a mage. You can't be. Magic is an abomination and certainly not allowed in the palace."

"Look little girl," Gajeel growled. His mood was turning sour fast. Of course she was one of _those_ people. One of the ones who detested and shamed magic and wrongly mistreated anyone who possessed the power to use it. But he guessed he shouldn't have expected any better from her. She was a princess after all, and those royal snobs were all the same in his book. "Believe whatever stupid shit about magic you want. I don't give a damn. I was sent here by Lord Jose. He's the one that wants to marry you. _Not me_. I'm just doing my job."

Levy crossed her arms, her frown still intact. "Well then why didn't he come to rescue me himself?"

"How the hell should I know? You can ask him when we get there." He growled and then turned to head the rest of the way down the mountain.

"But I'm supposed to be rescued by my true love! Not by some unrefined wizard and his pet!" She panicked without really thinking about her choice of words. She was too upset for that and he was allowed to be rude to her, so why shouldn't she be rude back?

Lily took a bit of offense to that, but knew that she probably didn't mean it. Gajeel on the other hand was extremely pissed off by now. She was getting on his last nerve.

"I don't give a damn about your stupid childish fantasies, you got that?!" he roared. "I just want to complete my job and go the hell home!"

"Well, excuse me," Levy fired back and stuck her chin up at him. "But your job is not my problem."

Gajeel growled at her.

"You can tell Lord Jose that if he wishes to rescue me _properly _then I'll be waiting right here," Levy told him, composed as she sat down on a rock behind her.

"Oi, I ain't no one's messenger boy," Gajeel fumed. "I'm a delivery boy!"

Levy gasped then glared at him. "You wouldn't dare."

Gajeel didn't even bother answering. Instead, he sneered at her before roughly picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

Levy kicked and yelled and pounded on his back.

"Put me down right now! Put me down or you will suffer the consequences!" she screamed at him while struggling. "This is not dignified! _Put me down_!"

Gajeel turned to leave, unaffected by her threats and demands. "You coming Lily?" he asked without turning around.

"Right behind you," Lily answered and sighed. It was going to be a long journey back.

* * *

**A/N: **Welp there it is! I know Levy's a little snooty now and Gajeel's kind of mean, but if I write more they'll get better I promise. As always thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I'm really sorry that it took me so long to come back to this. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to at all, but somewhere in the last 6 months I actually thought up a plan for this story so now I might have to finish it. If anyone is still reading this story then thanks for sticking with it!

* * *

After a while Levy had let up. The shouting hurt her throat and the beating hurt her hands. She found that Gajeel's back was hard as a rock; he was very muscular after all. Levy thought she might have enjoyed being carried by him if it were not in the disgraceful position she was in at the moment. For now though, she settled on resting her arms and head a little below his shoulder as she talked to Pantherlily on their walk through the woods.

"So Princess," Lily began as he flew behind Gajeel, "how long was it that you were stuck in that tower, if you don't mind me asking?"

Levy smiled. She rather enjoyed the company of the strange black cat. He had more manners than his companion and at least attempted to make conversation with her.

"Well, it's been at least 10 years. I was only 8 years old when they took me to live in the castle. I remember the excitement, as a little girl, of waiting for my true love to come save me. Back then I never imagined it would take this long, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait."

"Indeed, Oak Town is a very beautiful place."

"And what about my groom-to-be, Lord Jose, what's he like?"

Gajeel had tried to ignore their conversion up to this point, but he couldn't help himself from snorting at her question. He was sick of her talking about noble knights and true love and other storybook nonsense. Just picturing the look on her face when she saw Jose for the first time made him grin.

As they came up to a clearing in the woods with a stream Gajeel thought it would be a good place to stop for a moment. He dropped Levy to the ground roughly.

"Gajeel…" Lily warned.

"Let's see _Princess_," Gajeel spoke to Levy as she stood up with a glare, "Jose is a pale bastard with greasy dark hair and a creepy mustache. He's the kind of guy who likes to lurk around his own castle in the middle of the night just so he can witness the mistakes of his servants and punish them accordingly."

Gajeel got closer to Levy as he was talking, until he was standing right up next to her. "He appears out of the shadows when you least expect him." He told her with a dark smile. "That's why they call him The Phantom Lord."

Levy was not impressed with Gajeel's speech.

"Ugh, would you knock it off already," she jabbed a finger at his chest, "You're just jealous that you could never measure up to a great ruler like Lord Jose."

"Tch. I could take Jose down any day if he didn't hide behind his little group of protectors. I could take them down, too if I had two of me."

"Protectors? You mean like knights?" Levy asked curiously and lowered her finger.

Gajeel didn't have it in him to tell her that the knights weren't his problem. That he would have to go through guards of the magical sort if he wanted to touch Jose. He knew how she felt about magic, though, and he really didn't feel like dealing with her trying to run away.

"You can ask him yourself about all that tomorrow," He told her and started walking along the path again.

"Tomorrow? It'll take that long?!" Levy panicked. She had been so caught up in the excitement of the day that she didn't realize the sun starting to go down. "Shouldn't we stop to make camp?"

Gajeel stopped and looked over his shoulder, "No, that'll take longer."

"But- but there are robbers in the woods! And wild animals!"

"Look shrimp, I'm ten times scarier than anything we could come across in these woods, so let's go."

Levy skittered up to Gajeel and pleaded to him with the start of tears in her eyes. "Please Gajeel we have to make camp! I-I-" she tried to quickly think up an excuse, "I'm afraid of the dark!" It wasn't a total lie. Levy was never very fond of the dark, but living in that dreary castle all those years toughened her up to it.

Gajeel looked at her incredulously. "You've gotta be kidding me."

She looked over to where the sun was slowly setting and felt the tears starting to fall. "I'm truly not. I just need a small shelter. Anything will do. Gajeel, Lily please.." Levy begged, her voice nearly breaking.

"It wouldn't kill us to take a break Gajeel. Especially after dealing with that dragon." Lily reasoned.

Gajeel thought it was ridiculous, but he couldn't take the look in her eyes. He could see the fear and desperation. This girl really was afraid.

"Fine," he groaned. He was getting too soft.

Levy gave them the brightest smile she could muster and scooped them both up in a quick hug. "Come on," Levy started as she skipped ahead of where Gajeel was momentarily frozen, "let's hurry before the sun goes down."

Gajeel snapped out of his surprise and caught up to where his cat was just a little behind Levy. He turned his head away with the faintest of blushes on his cheeks. His natural grumpy attitude was back at once. "Tch. Getting my land back is hardly worth all this goddamn trouble. I shoulda just moved."

This made Levy turn her head and giggle at the dragon slayer. "Once, I've married Lord Jose we will give you ten times the worth of your property for delivering me safely."

"I don't want any of your high class, magic hating money," he stated harshly, "I just want what's rightfully mine."

Levy frowned. She wanted to tell him that she didn't really hate magic. She actually found it rather interesting. There were a few books in the castle that she had read about magic, and her curious side secretly wanted to know more. Levy couldn't act on any of that, though. She shouldn't even be thinking about it really. Magic couldn't be any interest of a princess.

She sighed. "I promise I will return your property back to you then." Levy told him seriously. The look in her eyes told him that she meant it, so he let it go. He was sick of arguing anyway.

"Come on Shorty. Let's go find your damn shelter," Gajeel said in a milder tone. He motioned to a cliff up ahead. "Those rocks up there could probably work."

Lily looked at the small shelter of rocks doubtfully. They were stacked up to create small walls with one rock on top acting as a roof. Even Levy could only stand if she was crouching. "Gajeel, this is hardly the place for a princess."

Gajeel gave him a glare.

"No this is perfect really!" Levy reassured him quickly. "It just needs a few homey touches. Like a door!"

She went over to a nearby tree where a large piece of bark was chipping and broke it off. Pleased with her new door, she went back over to her temporary home and put it in place over the space that the rocks didn't cover. Levy turned back to her two traveling partners. Gajeel had one eyebrow raised and Lily had a small grin on his face.

"Thank you both, really," she said to them smiling before going into her small hut.

"'Night," she heard Gajeel call to her. She could just see them through a small crack in her makeshift door.

"Goodnight" she said back quietly, watching them leave and sit down next to the cliff.

Levy quickly lied down after that, just as the sun finally set. She closed her eyes, but she could still feel it: the energy surging through her, the magic. It would be difficult for her to sleep now. Back in the tower it was alright if she spewed a spell or two in her sleep where no one could see her. Now, though, there were two wide awake witnesses that would know her secret if she made a mistake. So, instead of sleep she listened to the oddly soothing sound of their voices, even if she couldn't make out all of their words.

* * *

Once wood had been gathered and a small fire had been made, Gajeel and Lily laid down on the hard surface near the edge of the cliff. The sky was clear and the starts were bright that night. Even though the setback was annoying Gajeel thought it was nice to relax a little. The silence was calming and he preferred it to stay that way. Lily, however, had other plans.

"You know Gajeel, it wouldn't kill you to be a little more pleasant on our trip back." Lily suggested casually.

Gajeel scowled at him. "Come on Lily, when am I ever 'pleasant'? Besides, this whole damn situation is annoying me."

"Which parts have annoyed you so far? Almost getting your land back or getting hugged by a pretty girl?" Lily questioned him with a faint smirk. Gajeel's scowl broadened.

"Tch. The pretty is outweighed by the stuck-up and annoying if you ask me." She wasn't bad to look at he could admit. The girl was short, but still had some curves from what he could tell by her fancy orange dress. Her smile wasn't bad either. It was too bad he hadn't seen it very often because from what he could tell so far, she was just as stubborn as him.

"What do you expect Gajeel? Her parents have probably been spewing this fantasy of true love and knights in shining armor since she was a young girl. And what other role models has she had to learn from throughout her life? The dragon? She may be a princess, but surely she hasn't had the easiest life." Lily told him seriously.

Gajeel turned to look up at the stars again. Thinking about this girl was starting to make his brain hurt. "At least she has money and stability. Once she marries Jose, all her problems will be solved and if she hates magic as much as it seems she does then she'll love him."

"Do you really believe that Gajeel? Do you really think she will be happy once she sees how he treats those who use magic, how he uses them? It's true that she isn't a fan of mages, but she has a kind heart." Gajeel knew he was right.

"Look, she may be too good for a scumbag like Jose, but there's not many people out there that aren't. I'm just doing my job and that doesn't include getting involved in the affairs of a girl I just met."

"And what about those of people you know?" Lily challenged. "What of Juvia? And the little dragon slayer girl that was recently captured? What will happen to them once Jose marries the princess and has the power of the entire royal family behind him?"

Gajeel let out a loud groan and slammed his fist into the ground in frustration. That was something he had been trying to figure out ever since he and Juvia quit Jose's little squad. The Phantom Lord had not been happy when he lost two of his most powerful protectors. He became power hungry, capturing, and imprisoning mages around town, including Juvia and the towns other dragon slayer. Gajeel had a bit of a deal going with Jose, so far, to leave each other alone, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Jose was getting worse by the day, draining mages who wouldn't cooperate with him of their magic and using it at his disposal. He had already taken away Gajeel's land and planned to build imprisonment camps there. Gajeel wasn't sure how much more of Jose's shit he could take.

"I don't know Lily. You know it pisses me off to see them used by Jose like that, but what am I supposed to do? There's no way in hell I can stop Jose on my own. Not with the type of army he's got."

"You could always ask for help." Lily reminded him.

"Hah!" Gajeel laughed mockingly. "Like _they_ would ever help me. Not after all the things I've done to them."

"I'd actually be surprised if they didn't have something planned already. This is much bigger than just you Gajeel."

"Maybe, but by the time they do anything it'll already be too late. Not even they would go against the royal army."

"Not alone."

Lily's statement hung in the silence. There had been rumors of other towns out there; towns that embraced magic unlike those in Oak Town. Gajeel had thought about moving to one of those places more than a dozen times, get a fresh start, but something was holding him in the awful town he lived in. He wasn't ready to move quite yet.

"Let's just try to get some sleep," Gajeel said finally. "If tomorrow is half as crazy as today then we'll need it."

"It could be less chaotic if you tried getting along with the princess instead of arguing with her."

"If I do will you quit naggin' me about it?" Gajeel growled.

Lily just smiled and nodded. The two ended their conversation with that and quickly fell into sleep. The nearby princess, hearing their voices stop and their breath even, soon followed them with the bits and pieces of new information she heard on her mind.

* * *

**A/N: **Ah yes what would a Gale story be without inner turmoil and Lily wisdom. I've decided to mention a couple of other characters in this story, so I would love to know if you guys would want them to make an appearance in the future. Also, I'm sorry that Iv'e had a ton of time to write this and it still kind of turned out like trash. Hopefully if I write a chapter over Christmas break it will turn out better. Thanks again!


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